


Cyan Cinders

by StalkerOfStories (MeepTheAngriestMareep)



Series: Burning Blue [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-10-03
Packaged: 2018-05-11 06:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5617501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeepTheAngriestMareep/pseuds/StalkerOfStories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of outtakes and oneshots related to Burning Blue</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Little Zuko's Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Young Zuko asks Iroh a question.

Inspired by this pic:  


.

One nice spring morning, in one of the many gardens of the Fire Lord's palace, Crown Prince Iroh of the Fire Nation could be found sitting in the shade of a blooming cherry blossom tree with his two year old nephew, Prince Zuko. Prince Iroh was leisurely admiring the scenery and drinking tea when little Zuko climbed into his lap with a perplexed expression on his face.

Just as Iroh took a sip of his tea, little Zuko voiced his question, "Unnnnncle? Where do babies come from?"

Iroh choked on his tea.

"Uncle?" Zuko prodded as Iroh coughed and sputtered.

"Wh-why do you ask, Zuko?" asked Iroh, once he recovered.

Zuko flopped over Iroh's knee. "'Cause Mommy said she's gonna have another baby. So where do they come from? And how's Mommy gonna get one?"

 _Agni, not this question. Now how did I explain this to Lu Ten again? Err…_ "Well, Zuko… It's the, uh…" Subtly, he panicked, eyes dodging around for an escape. The tea sloshed in his hand, catching his eye. Inspiration hit. _Ah! Thank Agni! I remembered!_ "Tea Leaf spirits!"

"Tea Leaf spirits?" echoed Zuko curiously, eyes wide.

"Yes! The Tea Leaf spirits. But only a special kind of Tea Leaf spirit." Iroh nodded sagely. "Not all of them give people babies, nephew. Some of them make the tea taste better, and others allow people to see the future in the leaves."

"Ohhh," Zuko said. "So then how do the baby Tea Leaf spirits give people babies?"

"Well… first, a man and a woman must pray to the spirits together for a baby. Then they leave out an offering of tea out over night. They do that to get the attention of the Tea Leaf Spirits, because the ones that give babies only come out to our world at night."

"Why do they only come out at night?" Zuko injected.

"They are spirits. Their ways are very mysterious," Iroh explained quickly.

"Ohh, riiiight. Spirits are miss-tree-yes. So then what?"

"Then, if the tea catches the attention of a baby giving Tea Leaf Spirit in the middle of the night, the tea… VANISHES!"

Zuko gasped. "Van-ee-shes?! It dis-a-pears?!"

"Yes," Iroh smiled. "It disappears. Because the Tea Leaf spirit drank it. They do like good tea. And if they liked the tea, they reward the man and woman by granting their wish for a baby." Satisfied with his explanation, Iroh took a celebratory sip of his tea.

"Oh. But then how does the baby get inside the mommy? 'Cause Mommy said the baby's gonna be growing in her tummy."

Iroh promptly choked on his tea again.

 _Spirits, why._ "Well… That's because of the Tea Leaf spirits again."

"Oh?" Zuko frowns confusedly.

"This is what makes the baby Tea Leaf spirits special. To give a mother a baby, they must first return to the Spirit World. Then they go to the place where souls of people that have passed wait for reincarnation, the Great Tree of Souls."

"What's ree-in-car-neigh-shun?"

"It is when a soul becomes a new person by forgetting everything and becoming a baby."

"Oh! Like the Avatar?"

"That's right, Zuko. Just like the Avatar. But normal people have to wait at the Great Tree of Souls first. They do that because they want to wait to see their loved ones again first."

"Like Auntie Natsu?"

Iroh smiled wistfully and nodded. "Yes, just like your Auntie Natsu."

A short, somber silence occurred as Iroh reminisced.

"So… why does the Tea spirit go to the Tree of Souls?" asked Zuko, pulling Iroh out of his memories.

"Ah. Well, the Tea Leaf spirit needs a soul to turn into a baby. So then the spirit then asks if one of the souls would like to become a new being. And if one says yes, the Tea Leaf Spirit takes that soul to Forgetful Valley to visit the Mother of Faces. The Tea Leaf spirit then requests the Mother of faces to erase the soul's memories and give it a new face for when the soul becomes a baby. If the Mother of Faces grants the Tea Leaf spirit's requests--"

"But what if she says no, Uncle?"

"Then the Tea Leaf spirit takes the soul back to the Great Tree and moves on, forgetting about the wish of the people who wanted a baby."

"So they don't get a baby?"

"They don't. But if she does say yes, then the Tea Leaf spirit takes the soul and wraps it up in a special Magical Tea Leaf. And then, the spirit waits for night time--"

"Why?"

"Because the Tea Leaf spirits that bring people babies can only come to our world at night," Iroh explained. "The spirit then takes the Magical Tea Leaf and hides it in the teapot. So when the woman makes tea and drinks it, the Magical Tea Leaf will slip into her tea and then go into her tummy because she drank it."

Wide-eyed, Zuko asked, "But what if a boy drinks it?"

 _…Spirits, I am NOT going to explain THAT to my two year old nephew!_ "…because it only works if a woman drinks it. It doesn't work on boys."

"Oh. Okay. So what happens to the magic leaf when it's in the mommy's tummy?"

"It turns into a seed, and like a plant, the seed grows into a baby in the mommy's tummy."

"Oh. Doncha need to water it?"

"Yes, by having the mummy drink lots of tea, the baby grows. Once the baby is fully grown, it has to come out of the mommy. But how that happens is a special secret known only to women and certain doctors. Any… other questions, nephew?" _Agni, please no._

"No," Zuko shook his head. "Should I make Mommy drink more tea to make the baby grow faster?"

"If you want to. But not too much, otherwise the baby won't grow because there's too much tea. Babies have a limit of how much tea they need. Too much will make them stop growing, just like a plant."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Natsu is the name I'm using for Iroh's dead wife, Lu Ten's unnamed mother.


	2. Azula's First Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lu Ten meets Azula and is then freaked out by her. Lu Ten POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula is approximately 6 months old when this occurs.

Lu Ten was excited. Today, Auntie Ursa was going to let him meet his littlest cousin, Azula. He made his way to the nursery where the two surely were. Stopping outside the closed doors, he took a deep breath to calm himself and knocked on the door. "Auntie Ursa?"

There was a pause. Then Auntie Ursa opened the door, smiling. "Lu Ten! So nice to see you. How have you been?"

"I'm good, Auntie. How have you been?" he replied.

"I've been well. Are you here to see Azula?"

"She's in the playpen with Zuko. Come on in." Auntie stepped aside, allowing Lu Ten into the room. She placed a hand on his shoulder and led him to the playpen in the middle of the room. The playpen held two small children in it. The smaller one sat with its back to the door, the other was seated directly in front of the smaller one, facing it. The larger child looked up as Ursa and Lu Ten approached.

His face lit up. "Mommy! Lu Ten!"

"Heya, Zuko!" Lu Ten grinned back. The smaller child tilted her head back to see the people behind her. She overbalanced and flopped onto her back with a small 'oof'.

_Awww, how cute._ "So, lil buddy, who's this?" He gestured to the baby girl.

Zuko looked at her. "Oh." She rolled over onto her stomach.

Zuko looked back at Lu Ten and said, "that's my new sister. Her name's Azula." He then scooted closer to Lu Ten and whispered loudly. "She drools on people! She drooled on me too!"

_Pfft, aww poor Zuko, he got drooled on._ Swallowing a snicker, he pat Zuko on the head. "She probably didn't mean to."

Azula, who was in the process of slowly lifting herself up, shot him an incredulous glare. She then slowly manipulated herself into a sitting position facing Lu Ten.

"Hi there, Azula. I'm your cousin, Lu Ten." He smiled at Azula.

Azula stared back blankly. Then a slow, sly smile crept onto her face. She stuck out a hand at him and said,

  
"Haaaaiiiiiii" she said in a creepy nasal alien voice, stretching out the single syllable word.

_Spirits! That's so creepy._ Lu Ten smiled shakily.

Auntie Ursa gasped. "Her first word! She said hi! That's her first word!"


	3. About Lu Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula's thoughts on her cousin, Lu Ten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **SPOILERS FOR BIG HERO 6**

Cousin Lu Ten was Iroh's only child. He was nice, really nice, like _Big Hero 6_ Tadashi nice. When I originally made that comparison, I was horrified immediately after. Because like Tadashi, I knew Lu Ten would die. And I had no way of stopping it.

I didn't know when or how he would die, only that it would be during Uncle's siege on Ba Sing Se and before Mother disappears. Based on what I remember from either the show, fanfictions, or the wiki, Zuko would be ten, eleven, or twelve when it happens.

I was a child and I would still be a child when Lu Ten gets deployed out to Ba Sing Se. I didn't think I could stop it; who listens to a child when it comes to military decisions?

Did I even want to prevent his death? Yeah, I didn't want him to die. But to do something and possibly endanger myself and change the story? No. I don't want to risk it.

Sorry, cousin. I like you, but I'm not so invested in you that I would risk myself. In order for Canon to proceed as I recall, Lu Ten must die. It'll be easier if I don't get attached.

.

.

.

… I didn't realize that I was already attached to him.


	4. Ursa's Letters 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letters from Ursa to [Unknown] pt. 1

 

> She's always crying, my daughter. Azula was born three days ago, on midsummers' day, when the sun was at its highest. She only stops crying when she's asleep. Otherwise, she's always crying and screaming. As if she is eternally in immense pain… She keeps crying and I don't know what to do. Perhaps she is sick? I shall arrange to have a healer come see her. See if something's wrong.

 

* * *

 

> She keeps crying and all the doctors, healers, and physicians have unanimously agreed that she's fine. Physically, Azula is in perfect health, so they don't know why she keeps crying… Physically. Perhaps the problem comes not from her body but her spirit… I shall have to bring it up with my honorable husband. As a Prince, he can request the Fire Sages to consider taking a look at her. Perhaps they can find out why she keeps crying…

 

* * *

 

> It's confirmed. My daughter is Spirit Touched. Most would find it to be great news, but… People forget, not all spirits are benevolent. They are not human, they don't understand humans. They're Spirits. I don't even know which spirit laid its hand on Azula. From the display of fire when the Fire Sages visited, most would think Agni himself blessed her but… Agni is not the _only_ Fire Spirit, simply the most well known one… I fear for my daughter, for all those known to have had the Touch of a Spirit have led… _interesting_ lives. To be Spirit-Touched is to be cursed with an interesting life, filled with strife… I fear for her.

 

* * *

 

> Azula bent fire today. She's four. My husband believes that it is a sign of Agni and Azula's prodigious nature. I, however… It's early. Too early. Previously, the earliest recorded age of a firebender presenting was five. Azula is _four_. _Barely_ four. She only turned four a month ago. It's too early. Perhaps it is a sign of her being Touched by a Fire Spirit… but she's barely four. And now she has to undergo firebending training. She's young. Firebending teachers can be harsh. What if they push her too far and it impedes her growth? I'll have to watch over her more closely, but I also have Zuko to worry about… My son has yet to bend fire and my husband seems to be disappointed with him… I don't know what my husband would do if Zuko never bends… If he--[the rest of the paper is nearly illegible due to being charred]--son, Ikem. I--[the rest of the paper has been ripped and charred]

((Missing charred bit: If he is not a bender, I'm sure you would never be disappointed in Zuko, had he been ours. I wish he was your son, Ikem. I miss you, I love you.))


	5. Azula Meets Yun Fei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing an OC who makes his first appearance in BB Chapter 13! Yun Fei!

Right after a firebending lesson, Azula was told that her Father wished to speak to her and was waiting in the entrance chamber of her rooms-slash-suite.

The five-year-old entered her rooms to find her father seated at one of the low tables. Blinking sleepily, she bowed. "Good morning, Father," Azula greeted.

"Daughter," Father returned, nodding once. "Come, sit."

Azula moved to sit in seiza across from her Father. Then, as she was trained to, Azula waited silently for her father to continue. After a moment's silence, Ozai spoke.

"Daughter, you are now five years old. Your tutors have consistently reported that your progress remains adequately above average. As such, I have deemed you mature enough to be given your own personal servants and guards."

Azula blinked slowly as Ozai waved a single guard over. "This man has been assigned to be one of your guards. For now, he is also to be the Head of your personal guard. You may reassign that position to another later if you wish."

"I understand, Father."

Ozai nodded decisively. "Good." He turned to the guard and frowned sternly. "I leave my daughter in your hands."

"I shall do my best to keep the princess safe, Prince Ozai," he replied as he bowed deeply.

Ozai nodded once and left. Minutes passed and the guard had yet to rise from his bow. Azula dropped her head onto the table.

"He's gone now, you can stop bowing," Azula said lazily. He didn't move.

She sighed and lifted her head. "Rise, dumbass." That got a reaction.

His head snapped up and he looked mildly scandalized. Azula noted that even with that expression, he had a pretty face. He also looked young, twenty-ish range. "A lady shouldn't use such language!"

She tched. "Good thing I ain't a lady then." Eyeing him curiously, she asked, "what's your name anyway? Unless you want me to keep calling you dumbass."

He blinked owlishly, clearly thrown off balance. Quickly, he masked it with a polite smile. He looked very pretty when he smiled, Azula thought. "My name is Yun Fei, Princess Azula. It's an honour to serve you."

"Sure it is," Azula muttered. She yawned and dropped her head back onto the table. Folding her arms under her head to pillow it. Sleepily, she slurred, "I'mma take a nap now. 'S nap weather…"

"D-don't you have assignments from your tutors to do?"

"Do it later…" She mumbled.

"Procrastination is not a good habit to cultivate, Princess!"

"'S NAP TIME! Do it laaateeerrrrrr…." Azula whined and burrowed her head deeper into her arms.

"Princess!"

Azula whined incoherently and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 Within a year, Azula and Yun Fei build up an amicable relationship, in which Yun Fei is basically a baby-sitter-slash-pseudo-older-sibling. He treats her like a niece or much younger sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azula's guesstimate of Yun Fei's age is... sorta correct. Twenty-ish, if twenty-eight counts as twenty-ish.


	6. Making Friends?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Swarm of Wild OCs Appeared!
> 
> In which Azula meets a group of people and maybe makes kinda friends with them?

Azula is incapable of making the first move in any kind of relationship, be it platonic, romantic, familial or other. She gets a severe case of Foot-in-Mouth Syndrome, that is open mouth insert foot.

If someone tries making friends with her however, the relationship is far more successful. For example, Shisui.

* * *

 

Azula was out wandering in the woods. For some reason.

"Heyyyy! You over there!" a voice called out. She turned to see a dark haired boy rapidly approaching. He came to an abrupt stop just out of arms length. "Whatcha doin' all on yer lonesome?"

"… nothing?"

"Huh. Really? Well, that ain't fun." He grinned widely. "Wanna hang out with me and my friends? We're playing Chase the Sun!"

"Ummm, sure?" She smiled nervously. She had never heard of the game. "Explain the game to me then."

The boy bounced as he led her to his group of friends, explaining the rules of the game. "So basically, there's two teams, each with a ball, or 'sun' in the game, that they hide in their 'territory'. The goal of the game is ta steal the other team's 'sun' and get it back ta your team's territory. Ya also gotta avoid the enemy in their territory 'cuz if they tag you, you gotta go ta th' Dragon's Cave, or jail. But only for like, a minute cuz it gets boring if yer stuck in jail th' whole game, ya know? And you can tag the enemy if they're in your team's territory to send them ta jail. Aaannnnd that's it! Those're th' rules of Chase th' Sun!"

"Okay, I get it." It was pretty much Capture the Flag, but under a different name. "Oh, I'm Azula by the way."

"Azula?" The boy blinked. Then he smiled again. "Nice ta meet ya, Az! I'm Shisui!" He gestured to a pair of twins, one male and one female. "Those two are th' Izzys."

"Izuna," corrected the girl. She had straight bangs that reached her eyebrows and her hair was pulled into two short tails.

"And Izaya." Her twin added. He looked identical to his sister, only he had short hair. And his shirt was a darker red than his sisters.

Shisui continued the introductions. He waved a hand at a boy with center-parted bangs. "Tha's Sei, one of th' nicest people _evah_."

Said boy smiled pleasantly. "My name's Lim Sei, but just Sei is okay. It's nice to meet you."

"He's pretty much always nice," affirmed Shisui. Moving to a girl with hair split into two tails that had the ends pinned to the base of her skull making them into loops, he ruffled her hair. "This is Shizune, my little sister. But everyone calls her Shizu-chan!"

She batted his hand away, protesting, "you're the only one who calls me that!"

Laughing like a loon, he dodged her irritated swipes. "Moving on." He pointed to the last girl of the group. "Emiko, who also responds ta Kitty."

Emiko sighed in exasperation. "I thought you were calling a kitty over, Shisui! Don't judge me. I just really like cats, okay?" Emiko had her hair pulled up into a bun, save for her bangs which were parted to the left.

"Kitty-Cat Emiko~" Shisui snickered. "Anyway--" he slung an arm around the shoulders of the only boy who had yet to be introduced--"This guy here is Keiji, who gets no nickname because it's hard to come up with one that fits."

"I'll gladly take Eagle Two as a nickname," drawled the boy. Keiji was unnaturally pale for Fire Nation. Other than that, he was Fire Nation through and through, appearance wise.

"...that makes no sense." Shisui frowned in mild bafflement. Then he shrugged, "welp. That's everyone! Now for teams!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd apologize for Shisui's accent, but nah. He'll grow out of it when he's older. Probably.


	7. Az is an Awkward Chocobo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Az attempts to befriend people and… fails.
> 
> Open mouth, Insert foot. Great job, Azula.

Azula stood quietly in the shade of a large tree, watching as hordes of her schoolmates ran around together, playing games and chatting in their own small groups. She chewed on her lip, gathering courage to approach one of the groups that was mostly made up of girls her own age.

"--and it was so SWEET!" one of the girls squealed.

"I know, right? And then when Ryuuko revealed herself to be the Dragon Empress--" giggled another.

"TRUE LOVE CONQUERS ALL!" the girls chorused.

"Umm…"

As one, the three girls turned to the young Fire Princess.

"Are you guys talking about _Love Amongst the Dragons_? The play?"

The tallest nodded. "Yeah. Have you seen it?"

"Mother takes us to see it at least once a year. Usually on Ember Island because our summer villa is there."

The smallest one grinned. "So? What do you think about it? Isn't it so romantic?"

Azula shrugged. "I personally thought it was kinda meh, but that might just be the Ember Island version."

They collectively blinked. The twin-tailed one frowned. "What do you mean 'meh'?"

"Plot holes, boring characters, lost potential. Unanswered questions. Why was the Dark Water Spirit angry enough to curse the Dragon Emperor? If he was Emperor, shouldn't he already know the Empress? Why was _she_ also hiding as a mortal? I mean, it's okay but there were so many plot holes and it had such potential, buuut… meh. Who even wrote it, really?"

The twin-tailed girl growled out, "my uncle wrote that play."

_Open mouth, insert foot. Great job, Azula._

The tallest gave Azula a look. "You're so weird. No one thinks about that kind of stuff. It's a play about the romance between Noren and Ryuuko, dummy."

The twin-tailed girl sneered in offense. "Yeah, no one else thinks like a weirdo. You're a _freak_."

"Yeah!" The shortest echoed. "It's no wonder you have no friends. You're a freak with a freaky brain!"

Azula pulled back, frowning slightly. "I was just saying it could have been better…"

"No one cares what you think, _freak_." The twin-tailed girl spat. "Even the adults think you're a freak! That's why you always have a guard around! So they can keep your freakiness under control!"

 _Azula's shoulders twitched. She scowled and took a deep breath through her nose. "At least I_ have _a brain, unlike you and your sycophants." She suddenly grinned viciously. "Also, have you heard about how firebenders are like humanoid dragons? And why you shouldn't anger them?"_

_"Huh?" "What?" "Eh?"_

_She threw her hand out in an arc across her body, sending embers out at the trio of girls. They shrieked and flailed as their clothes caught fire. Falling onto the ground they rolled around to put out the fires._

_Azula loomed over them, baring her teeth in a snarl. "Foolish little_ meatbags _. Anger not those who play with fire, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup."_

"Are you even listening, freak?!" a voice shrieked, bringing Azula out of her daydream.

She blinked and the fuming twin-tailed girl and her companions. _Oh right. They were still ranting._ "Hm? Did you say something?"

"Ugh!" The twin-tailed girl scoffed disgustedly. "You're even more of a freak that I thought! Freaky-zula!"

"Yeah! Freaky!" The other two chorused. "You tell her, Xien zi!"

The twin-tailed girl looked smug. "C'mon Benzai, Eida! Let's go before we get con-tame-in-ate-ed by her freakishness!"

And then the trio flounced off, leaving Azula standing alone.

She blinked rapidly, shrugged and returned to the shade of her tree. _Was that seriously the best they could do? People are stupid, but whatever. ~~Concealdon'tfeelitdoesn'thurtnopewe'refine~~_

* * *

Unknown to Azula, the three mixed and mingled with a multitude of their schoolmates and spread outlandish rumors about the weirdness and craziness of Azula. Mostly, that she was a weird and rude brat who had no taste and was probably touched in the head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tall = Benzai = From Banzai (Yeah, it's not much of a change...)  
> Short = Eida = from Ed  
> Twin-tail = Xien Zi = from Shenzi  
> Names shamelessly based off the Hyenas from Lion King
> 
> This is why Azula never makes the first move when attempting to socialize. Don't consider this bit to be BB!Canon, it might not actually happen. I just needed to get a feel for Az attempting to socialize.
> 
> I have no idea what I'm doing.


	8. Ninja 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibling Bonding~  
> In which Zuko begins to teach Azula How to be Ninja

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zuko is so much more cooperative than Azula. Unlike the main story, this isn't Azula-centric so it was _much_ easier to write. Sorry for the delay on the main story, school's started back up so... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

In the darkened halls of the Fire Lord's palace, a silent shadow moved. Carefully and quietly, he stealthily snuck his way across the hallway in front of the set of rooms given to the youngest member of the royal family. He stuck to the wall as he slid by the doors leading to the chambers of said person.

"Zuzu, what're you doin'?"

Zuko froze. Slowly and silently, he turned around to see his sister sleepily squinting at him in the dim light of the night. She stood in her sleep wear, in the gap of the ajar doors.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he hissed.

"Shouldn’t you?" she retorted, fully stepping out of her rooms to confront him.

"Go back to sleep. And don’t tell anyone you saw me, okay?"

"Mmmm… no." She tilted her head curiously. "Whatcha doing out and about at this time?"

"None of your business."

"I'll tell," she sang.

"Fine." He huffed. A pause. "I'm getting a snack."

She perked up. "Oh? Food, why didn't you say so? Can I come?"

"No!"

She pouted. "Why not?"

"You're not sneaky! You'll get us caught!"

Azula made her eyes huge and pouted even more. "Then teach me to be sneaky like you, Zuzu-sensei. I wanna be a food ninja too."

Zuko frowned, baffled. "What?"

"Teach me to be sneaky so I can come too," she elaborated. "I want some of them peaches."

"… How'd you know I was after the peaches?"

Blinking owlishly, Azula admitted, "I didn't. But now I do." Grinning widely, she drew closer to Zuko. "Take me with you~ Pleeeaaaase, Zuzu?"

"… Fine." He conceded after a pause. "C'mon, and be quiet. Stick to the shadows, move quickly but not too quickly otherwise you'll get noticed. And close your doors so no one thinks you're missing."

* * *

 

The two children made their way to the kitchens without _much_ trouble.

"Aren't there supposed to be, y'know, patrols and guards?" She said, casually strolling behind her brother.

"They have set schedules and routes-- _what are you doing?_ " Zuko's hand darted out to yank Azula to the wall. "You're going to get caught if you just casually stroll around like a _dummy_!"

"It's not like anyone's around anyway--"

Zuko slapped a hand over her mouth and pressed up against the wall. Two pairs of footsteps and a pair of hushed voices came down the intersecting corridor.

"…from the front?"

"Yeah, I heard from a friend that there might be rumours about preparing for a siege."

"Like a long one?"

"Yeah, probably for Ba Sing Se and its ridiculous walls."

"Huh. Hey, I'll bet you my next salary it's going to be under General Iroh's command."

"Hah, no. That's a sucker's bet. But I hear that young Prince Lu Ten might be deployed soon. Might even join his father in taking the entire Earth Kingdom."

"Heh, yeah. Then the war would…"

The voices faded away, the sound of the guards' steps grew fainter and fainter.

A moment of silence and all was still.

Then Zuko jerked his now wet palm away from Azula's mouth.

"You _licked_ me? That's disgusting, Azula!" He wiped her saliva off on her shirt.

"Meh." Azula looked completely unconcerned, as if licking people was an everyday thing. "You taste salty, like sweaty. It was gross," she reported bluntly.

" _You're_ gross. Who _licks_ people? _That's_ gross."

"Meh." Azula shrugged. "Moving on. Peaches?"

Zuko squinted at her dubiously, but conceded.

* * *

 

They had arrived at the open doorway of the kitchen, then sensing movement, the duo plastered themselves on opposite sides of the doorframe.

Azula peeked into the kitchen, and her eyes widened at what she saw. Whipping her head around to her brother she hissed, "psst! Zuzu!" She waved a hand in the direction of the prowling tigercat. "How do we get past the tigercat?"

Zuko leaned out from his hiding spot to see the tigercat. Spotting the bow on its right ear, he pressed himself up against the doorframe even more. He visibly shuddered. "Dear Agni, it's _Tora_!"

Azula looked at him quizzically.

"The Hellcat," he explained. "Do not engage the Hellcat or you will be _maimed_. Horribly."

"Ah." She took another peek at the tigercat. It was circling a specific spot on the floor. "I think it's going to sleep." Several moments frozen in silence passed. Only the duo's shallow breaths could be heard in the dark of the night. The tigercat settled and curled up for a nap. Azula waited a few more minutes before whispering, "it's asleep now, I think."

"Good. If she stayed awake, we'd have to retreat. The thing's evil, Cousin Lu Ten told me she's always angry and willing to claw everyone's faces off."

Azula stared. "What a nice kitty." She shook her head. "Moving on, how do we get past her?"

"We don't."

"What? But--"

"We have to go up."

"Up?"

"Up." He pointed up to the exposed beams in the ceiling.

"Ah."

* * *

 

Zuko and Azula found their way up onto the wooden beams of the ceiling. They climbed and crawled across the kitchen ceiling.

"This is so cool! And really awesomely ninja-like!" Azula gushed quietly with a huge grin. She crawled after her brother who turned to look at her.

"I know, right?" Zuko agreed with a smile. "Now hush, or you'll wake up Tora and get us caught."

Quietly, they made their way to the palace pantry and cold storage. Then they hit a snag.

"… I don't know if the peaches are in the pantry or cold storage," Zuko muttered, as he squatted on a wooden beam.

Azula sat next to him and cocked her head. "We're after the whole fruits, right? Not the precut ones or preserved ones, right? The fresh full fruits?"

"Yeah."

She nodded decisively. "Pantry then. Cooler's for preserving things that spoil really fast. The fruits don't tend to spoil fast unless the inner meat is exposed."

Zuko blinked at his sister. "You sure?"

"Eeyup."

"Okay then." He lay down onto the plank to crawl. "Pantry it is."

* * *

 

Once again, the duo sat in the rafters. This time, they were staring at the closed door of the pantry.

"If we open the doors, it'll make a sound," Zuko stated. "Which might wake Tora up. And get us caught."

"Which would be bad."

"Yes. So." He turned to her in the dim light. "I'll sneak in and grab the goods. You keep watch, especially on the Hellcat."

Azula pouted but acquiesced. "Make sure to take enough for me too then. Come get me when you're successful." She twisted around so she was laying on her stomach and traced the route back to the main kitchen, where Tora the tigercat was sleeping.

Zuko watched her leave. As soon as she was out of sight, he dropped down, bending his knees and rolling to absorb impact and landing lightly on his feet.

Carefully prying the pantry door open, wincing at the creak of the hinges. He slipped in without a sound, the door left ajar.

"Peaches... Peaches..." He muttered, casting his eyes around in the dim light. His eyes landed on a half crate on an upper shelf, full of plump, ripe peaches and he groaned. He'd have to climb up. He also need to find a bag or something to hold the peaches. Zuko glanced around again in hopes of finding an empty sack or some kind of container he could use.

Luck was on his side that night, as there were several empty cloth sacks folded on the ground. Grinning, Zuko picked one up and shook it out. Looking back to the crate of peaches, he plotted his course and climbed the shelves. Once on the shelf, he carefully placed several peaches into the burlap sack, making sure they wouldn't end up squished. As he moved to go back down, Zuko grimaced, realizing he'd have to be more careful when climbing down or the peaches would suffer.

Zuko's descent was much slower as he ensured he was as soundless as possible and that his loot remained safely undamaged. He sighed heavily in relief after both feet were placed firmly on the ground once more.

He slipped out the still open door of the pantry and carefully shut it. Making to leave through his usual exit route, a hidden passageway known to the regular kitchen staff, he paused, feeling as if he was forgetting something. Zuko frowned to himself and placed the bag of peaches on the ground by the entrance of the hidden passageway.

"What am I forgetting?" He mused out loud. He cradled his chin with one hand and placed the other on his elbow and hummed in contemplation. Then it hit him. "Oh right, Azula."

* * *

 

"I can't believe people have been slandering your good name. You're just doing your job, huh? Such a good kitty. You're a pretty kitty, Tora, don't listen to anyone who says otherwise." Azula cooed at the purring tigercat in her lap. Scratching at Tora's belly fur, she marveled at the fluffy softness of the supposed demon cat.

This was the scene Zuko walked in on.

He gaped at the sight of Tora the tigercat being putty in his sister's lap.

"Azula, _what are you **doing**?_ "

She looked up at him, not pausing her petting. "Petting Tora, dumdum. What does it look like?"

"How are you not getting mauled? Tora's _evil_."

"Rude!" She turned back to the tigercat and cooed, "don't listen to him, you're a good kitty, right, Tora? Yes you are, yes you are!"

Zuko stared. Then he shook his head and demanded, "do you want the peaches or not?"

"I wan' 'em" she answered immediately.

"Then put the Demon Cat down and _let's go_. Before we get caught, even though Tora might alert people anyway."

"Awww... Okay." Azula visibly drooped. "And she won't, cause she's a good kitty, yeah? Good girl." Carefully removing the tigercat from her lap, Azula stood up. She pet Tora on the head once more. "Bye kitty. _Stay_."

Azula walked over to Zuko and lightly pushed him. "We go?"

"...yeah."

* * *

 

Much later, Zuko and Azula snacked on their stolen peaches in the shadows of a courtyard garden's trees. It was, incidentally, the courtyard closest to both the kitchens and Azula's rooms.

"So do this again another night?" Azula asked, after swallowing a bite of peach. She had peach juice smeared all around her mouth. "Tell me when you wanna raid the pantry again. I wanna get better at ninja-ing. Also, food. And Tora."

"Sure. It's kinda fun having an accomplice," Zuko smiled, ignoring the last bit. "But remember, _don't_ get caught and don't tell _anyone_."

They shared a conspiratorial grin.

 

 

 

 

**Omake**

The duo crept through the darkened halls of the Fire Palace in… near silence.

"Dum dum dadum, dum dum dadum, dum dum--"

" _What are you doing?_ " Zuko hissed.

" _Mission: Impossible_ theme, to set the mood."


End file.
